I have been out of the loop for a while with the development of Linux/GNU based OSes on phones. However, with seeing how companies (like reddit) can change the rules as they wish, I want to see if completely switching to Linux is possible.

Long story short… what are the current phone providers that have Linux as an OS, or what is the best way to run Linux on an off-the-shelf phone?

As a side-question, is Nextcloud still the next best option for a complete service alternative to Google/iCloud?

Thank you!

  • Shatur
    2·
    1 year ago

    GNU/Linux on Phones are far from Android, but we slowly getting there. So if you want a better experience, just buy a phone that can run a community Android distribution like LineageOS.

    But if you are an advanced user and really want to use GNU/Linux on your phone, then I would recommend buying a PinePhone Pro + Pine keyboard (there is a bundle on their website). The keyboard is needed because it extends the battery life (without it the battery life is horrible) and compensates good swipe touch keyboard typing (we currently don’t have a touch keyboard with swipe feature). I daily drive this phone on ArchLinux with Plasma Mobile and I satisfied with the result.